Ridley
I've been struggling with trying to draw Ridley since Metroid 1 came out. He's a tricky bastard, how does that mouth and neck work? It occured to me that I had always tried to change his appearance into something 'more cool and buff', so this time I tried to stray pretty close to the sprite instead.
I think the crazy neck-mouth does add a certain charisma. He's quite a bit different in the manual, with three eyes stacked upon each other and trunky snout of some sort. Much of the artwork in the manual seem to correspond poorly to the ingame sprites. The Kid Icarus manual was much better from that viewpoint.
Some similarities between Alien 1 and Metroid 1:
- Fossilized guys sitting around.
- Ridley might be named after Ridley Scott, and is somewhat similar in design to the Alien.
- You encounter and fight a dangerous alien lifeform.
- This is a real long shot, but in Kid Icarus (aka Light Myth: Parthena's Mirror) had several enemies named after musicians. The big flying mouth is called "Mick", possibly a pun on Lick and Mick Jagger (who has a big mouth). There's also an enemy called Collin, and around it circles enemies which might be called Filling in the japanese version. Phil Collin performed a duet with a certain Phil Bailey around the time Kid Icarus and Metroid were made. Bailey is a part of a famous Metroid password , but it doesn't appear to be hard coded so it's probably a coincidence.
The female protagonist strips in the end, also revealing that her hair style and hair color is similar to that of Ripley. I think they intended for it to be close to black (like Ripley's), but that wouldn't show against the black space so maybe they made it brown instead. Actually, given how much the NES palette can vary, it's quite tricky to decide just which color her hair is. She could be a red head too, but she's certainly not blonde. The hair also appears to be wavy in the ending graphics, but straight ingame.
13 comments:
He he he I really think you have too much time to thing about these things :)
Don't know if you have seen it but there is a pretty good video retrospective of the metroid series at game trailers:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/22771.html
It's interesting you draw comparisons to Ripley and Samus. I have always thought the series borrowed from some of the ideas set in the movie but have never researched it any further.
One thing that stood out to me in the end sprite was the fact she was in a top and panties (super low perhaps?). The end of Alien also sported Ripley in very much the same outfit (not quite superlow). After a quick google this is probably the only reference I would find without spending too much time.
http://www.serieborsen.se/images/stuff/alien_ripley.jpg
Yeah I agree that Metroid's story is rather derivative, but it is fun nonetheless. BTW I'm a huge fan of your art, you've inspired me my friend :)
I saw the GT vids, but I can't say I'm that interested in what has been happening to the series. The philosophy and atmosphere of the first game (deliberate or not) is very different from the sequels.
Yeah, I'm very familiar with the ending of Alien, I've probably seen it almost as many times as I have finished Metroid.
Derivative in this case is a good thing indeed!
Fantastic take on Ridley! He looks much cooler and unique (and closer to the original) that subsequent versions in the later games.
I love your style.
your art confuses me. it's all over the place. you're like a factory of awesome.
gaaaaaaah
well i'm glad i found your seldom update blog. i'm coming back for seconds when there is seconds.
^___^
gooday!
&Rew.
yeah that thing in the background doesn't look at all like the Nostromo
Actually that was the cargo that the nostromo was towing.
Even though I have seen alien many times, it's still unclear to me (and many others) where the character are at different times. There's not enough shots establishing the environments.
The Nostromo appears to be the ship seen in the undocking and landing sequence. It is attached to the castle thing containing the ore, and can dock/undock with that arm thing (on the castle) seen briefly in the beginning of the movie.
Eagerly awaiting another update. I know you are you making more art, put it in a directory, it doesn't need presentation!
Your assessments about Metroid and Alien was right. When designing the original Metroid, the team looke dto the Alien movie for much inspiration. And part of a tribute to the movie, they named the most infamous enemy of the game Ridley.
I have to respectfully disagree with your assessment of much of Metroid's canon. The original designers of the game have spent a lot of time going back and retconning what they consider to be "canon" (Metroid: "Zero Mission")
To say they aren't canon is to directly contradict the people who decide what canon is.
They've spent a lot of time creating an interesting an involving story that needed very much to be fleshed out in the original version of Metroid.
Many of the questions you've asked, like "Why would Samus be alone?" are answered in the much more immersive, fleshed out canon that has been established for the Metroid series by games like Metroid: Zero Mission and Metroid Prime.
The later Metroid games have gone to great lengths to distance themselves from the original game in terms of visual design as well as game design. In a way I'm thankful for the atrocious M1 remake known as MZM. It felt like an official endorsement to treat the original game as completely separate.
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